


Good and mad

by Bablefisk



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Phil is alive, Phil isn't the nicest, Protective Bucky Barnes, but I wouldn't call it a fix it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 03:54:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5402105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bablefisk/pseuds/Bablefisk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Oh. So they had thought he was dead. He must have been someone from before James got here.<br/>Suddenly someone said a name. Coulson. The anger that the name brought with it was almost surprising, but he managed to blank out his face, and settled into what Tony called his ‘serial killer scowl’.</i><br/>Phil is alive and comes to tell the Avengers after a couple of years. No one is particularly happy, Bucky is pissed off on behalf of Clint, and Coulson is confused</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good and mad

**Author's Note:**

> It's something that's been stirring in my brain for a couple of weeks.  
> Also, I won nothing. Except maybe an overactive imagination.  
> Beta: Jwmelmoth, any mistakes are my own

                                               

James looked at the nondescript man standing in front of them. His suit and receding hairline could easily have fooled any civilian, but James could clearly see the muscles working underneath it all and the silent strength. James would absolutely be able to win in a fight, yes, but the man would not go down easy.

 

 _Agent!_ Tony had almost-screamed in obvious shock.

 

The man had been extremely calm when he answered. _The reports of my death were greatly exaggerated._

 

Oh. So they had thought he was dead. He must have been someone from before James got here. He sent a quick look over his teammates. Tony and Steve were shocked and angry, and were the ones yelling out questions. Bruce looked calm, and probably was, but there was a tightening around his eyes that gave away his anger. Thor looked happy, Sam looked confused; so it wasn't somebody he knew either. Natasha was fuming, he could tell by the tension in her eyes, though her face seemed completely blank. Clint was... the anguish on his boyfriend’s face took James by surprise. Who was this man?

 

Suddenly someone said a name. _Coulson._ The anger that the name brought with it was almost surprising, but he managed to blank out his face, and settled into what Tony called his ‘serial killer scowl’.

 

He and Clint had found each other quickly when he had been brought back to the tower. They had bonded over late nights, bad puns and nightmares, and had somehow helped each other through the worst times. They had been together for a year by now, and James knew that many of Clint's nightmares were connected to this man. Who, it turned out had been alive all along.

 

Yeah, they would not be friends anytime soon.

 

**

 

Phil was confused and a little disappointed. When he had heard that James Buchanan Barnes was alive, had been the Winter Soldier and had been brought in with the Avengers, his inner fanboy had squealed. Bucky Barnes was everything Captain America was, only unenhanced, and Phil had connected to that as a kid. So to say that he had been excited when he finally got to meet him was an understatement.

 

The man in person, however, was not quite what Phil had expected. Around Phil, Barnes was surly, scowled a lot, and half the time answered Phil in short, hard words. The other half he completely ignored him. At first, Phil had thought that was the way he was, but then he had seen Barnes and Clint together, laughing and joking around in the living room. He had seen Bruce and Barnes chatting about something, both men clearly into what they were talking about.

 

He didn't understand it. He could understand the others’ anger and shock at his not being dead and them not being told, but Barnes hadn't even known him before, so why did it seem like he was pissed off?

 

**

 

Steve saw how Bucky treated Coulson, and he wasn't particularly surprised about it. Steve himself was a little mad and annoyed with the man, but he hadn't known him all that well, and he felt it more for the sake of his three teammates that had known the man; Tony, Natasha and Clint.

 

Tony was mad, and didn't hold back at all, but he was also quick to forgive something like that, and he soon mellowed out. Natasha was clearly still fuming, and had broken Coulson's nose that first day. Steve couldn't quite tell how much anger was for her own sake, and how much was for Clint, though.

 

And that was the crux of the matter. Clint. They had all seen how he had been after New York and Loki. Some of them had also heard and helped him through a couple of nightmares before he and Bucky got together. Clint had been pissed off, yes, but he had quickly turned into sad. They had all guessed that he felt too guilty to be properly mad, and so Steve understood why Bucky, and maybe even Natasha decided to be mad for him.

 

**

 

It all came to a head one afternoon. Clint was off to SHIELD to check up on a sprain he had gotten, but the rest of the team was in the living room, talking quietly. James had just walked into the kitchen when he was cornered by Coulson.

 

“Listen, Barnes, I don't know what I have done to piss you off, but as my team and yours are about to work together, I need to know that you will be professional and not let it affect the mission.”

 

James raised his eyebrows at him. “You don't know what you have done? Seriously?” The sarcasm in his voice was obvious.

 

Coulson sighed. “No, you didn't know me before, and as far as I know nothing has happened in the last couple of weeks to warrant this hostility.”

 

Bucky laughed. “Oh, you wanna do this here? Fine, let's do this here.” Neither of them noticed that the chatter in the living room had stopped, and that everyone in there was listening to the conversation.

 

“You know Clint fairly well, right?” Coulson nodded. “Then it shouldn't be so hard for you to understand that he has had a tough couple of years. First, not only did he lose someone he thought of as family, you, but he was convinced it was his fault that you died. He had nightmares about it. Second, if you know Clint as well as you say you do, you also know that one thing everyone he has ever thought of as family has left him before the Avengers. He has abandonment issues so complicated, he will probably always wonder if the team is gonna leave, if I am gonna leave.

With coming back here now, not only are you saying that you didn't care enough to relieve him of that guilt, you are also showing that you abandoned him like everyone else his entire life has done.

But he feels too guilty, he is too upset with the fact that yet again he was 'not good enough' to be mad at you like he should, so I'm gonna be mad for him. And for me. Because you hurt my family, and that's not okay. Just be glad I haven't done anything to make the rumor of your death true.”

 

Coulson was gaping, and looking a little shocked. Bucky turned his head, and behind him stood the rest of the team, nodding along and scowling at Coulson. Even Thor, who hadn’t really understood why they weren’t all just happy that the man was alive, looked mad.

 

The Archer stood behind the wall leading to the kitchen, smiling a little as he peeked in. Fuck, he loved his team.

 


End file.
